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Here are eight Wordpress plugins we use on our blogs to either make things easier on our readers or on the management of our blogs. These plugins are downloaded from the links provided, unzipped, and and then uploaded into your plugins folder in your Wordpress intall. The plugins folder will be in the wp-content folder.

To activate a plugin go to your Wordpress admin panel, click on plugins. Go to the plugin you want to install and click on activate.

Akismet comes with your Wordpress install. Use it. It helps to fight spam in comments and spam trackbacks. The options for akismet are found under Plugins, Akismet Configuration.

How about making it easy for your readers to contact you? Dagon Design has a secure contact form you can add to your blog. After you activate this plugin, the options for it are found under the Options tab. DDFM-Main. You can have more than one contact form on your blog. For instance, here on DandelionBlog we have a contact form for contacting Suzanne, and one for contacting me. [Read more →]

Tags: How to Blog, Wordpress by Kacey
7 Comments »

Write a press release for your blog!  No, really.  Okay, you’re saying, why?  To increase traffic, of course, and to reach the people who would be interested in your blog only they don’t know about it.  A press release is a “pseudo” news story, designed to show reporters and newspaper editors “the story” they could write.  In other words, it’s a marketing pitch.  And if you aren’t marketing your blog, why not?  Your blog is the number one draw to your website.  Market it!  A press release about your blog can be used alone, and it can also be part of your full press kit.  Don’t limit yourself to people and publications who might be interested in your books.  Market outside the box.  Local media might be interested in the “local” angle if your blog includes tidbits about life in your area.  If you blog on various topics, think about each topic and what type of publication might be interested in a blog about that topic. Think regionally and nationally, too. Send the press release not only to your local newspaper but to regional newspapers, national newspapers–and magazines. Don’t forget to send it to television stations, too.

Recently, I wrote a press release for my blog and sent it to several publications.  As a result, so far I’ve been featured in two publications and have enjoyed the traffic increase as a result.  My press release was geared toward country living, marketing outside the box of my “writer” angle.  Think about your blog from different perspectives and market it outside the box, too.

Here is a sample press release template: [Read more →]

Tags: How to Blog, Marketing by Suzanne McMinn
4 Comments »

Let’s face it, if people already know you and read your books, they are going to look for your website by searching for Jane Smith writer. Or Jane Smith author. They’ll find you. But what about attracting NEW readers? Readers who don’t already know your name or read your books? This is where your blog comes in. Attract more readers to your blog through search engine traffic.

You might decide to try and attract people searching for paranormal authors. Okay, let’s look at that. You can use the Wordtracker Free keyword suggestion tool. Type in paranormal authors.

Look, paranormal ROMANCE authors get searched for more than paranormal authors. If you write paranormal romance, it would make more sense to target the higher searched for term. [Read more →]

Tags: How to Blog, Marketing, Website Tips, Wordpress by Kacey
2 Comments »

A picture tells a thousand words. Seriously. If you aren’t using photography on your blog, think again. Blog readers love photos! Photos break up longer posts, add substance to shorter posts, and draw readers through a post. And they’re fun! Don’t you want your blog to be fun?

How and when should you use photos on your blog? [Read more →]

Tags: How to Blog by Suzanne McMinn
5 Comments »

Have you seen the commercial for DirectTV, where Jessica Simpson says “I don’t know what it is, but I want it…” Well, I used to feel a bit like that about Stumbleupon. StumbleUpon can seem like visiting a foreign country. Let’s see if we can begin to help you speak the language.

What is StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is a social networking website. You set up specific topics that interest you, and StumbleUpon feeds you websites that match your interests. You can thumbs up or thumbs down sites as you view them. StumbleUpon figures out more and more what interests you and feeds you more sites that match your interests.

How do you get started with StumbleUpon?

Go to StumbleUpon and set up an account.

Click Join and Download Now to download the toolbar for Firefox or Internet Explorer. [Read more →]

Tags: How to Blog, Marketing by Kacey
6 Comments »